Congress slams BJP over ‘100 councillors won unopposed’ claim ahead of Maharashtra local body polls

Former minister and Congress leader from Amravati district Yashomati Thakur criticised the BJP on Saturday for claiming that 100 of its councillors had “won unopposed” from various local civic bodies in Maharashtra, alleging that the BJP’s dynastic politics has reached the level of local bodies and that even the police were pressured to ensure “unopposed victories” of BJP leaders’ relatives.

Elections to local civic bodies, including 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats (city councils), in Maharashtra are scheduled for December 2, and votes will be counted on December 3, 2025.

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Congress leader Yashomati Thakur alleged intimidation as well as inducements by the BJP to ensure the withdrawal of competing candidates from standing for elections to local civic bodies, reacting to Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan’s claim that 100 BJP councillors in municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state were “elected unopposed” even before local body polls began.

“A cousin of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was ‘elected unopposed’ in the Chikhaldara municipal council. Several relatives of BJP ministers, MLAs, and MPs, including Labour Minister Aakash Fundkar, Textiles Minister Sanjay Savkare, Minister Ashok Uike, former MP Ramdas Tadas, MLA Mangesh Chavan, and MLA Prakash Bharsakle, are either in the fray or have already been elected unopposed to posts in local civic bodies,” former minister and Amaravati Congress leader Yashomati Thakur said.

In the election to the Chikhaldara Municipal Council in Amravati district, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s cousin Alhad Kalote was the BJP candidate. He was contesting from ward number one. “Here, the Congress had fielded Sheikh Irshad Sheikh, but on Thursday, a total of seven candidates, including the Congress candidate, withdrew their nominations. Due to this, Fadnavis’s cousin Alhad Kalote was elected unopposed,” Amravati Congress leader Yashomati Thakur said.

She stated that in Jamner, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan’s wife, Sadhana Mahajan, was “elected unopposed” to the post of municipal council president after Congress nominee Rupali Lalwani and two NCP candidates “withdrew” from the fray.

Similarly, Minister Jaykumar Rawal’s mother, Nayan Kunwar Rawal, was “elected unopposed” as president of the Dondaicha-Varwade municipal council in Dhule district without contest after opposition candidate Sharyu Bhavsar’s nomination got “rejected”, Amravati Congress leader Yashomkati Thakur said, adding that Bhavsar alleged that the nomination was rejected “under pressure from the minister”.

However, Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan claimed that all these BJP candidates were “elected unopposed” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as many as 100 BJP councillors have been elected unopposed even before the actual polling,” Maharashtra state BJP president Ravindra Chavan said.

Amravati Congress leader Yashomati Thakur said that in the Loha Municipal Election in Nanded district, the BJP gave tickets to six members of the same family. The BJP has fielded candidates for all seats in the Nanded Loha Nagar Parishad elections, from the same family. The BJP has nominated Gajanan Suryavanshi for the mayoral post. It also nominated his wife Godavari Gajanan Suryavanshi, brother Sachin Subhashrao Suryavanshi, brother’s wife Supriya Sachin Suryavanshi, brother-in-law Yuvraj Vasantrao Waghmare, and nephew’s wife Reena Amol Vyavahare, for other posts for the Loha Nagar Parishad elections, Thakur said.